7

C.-4

The output of the various mills during the same period (year 1906-7) totalled 190,543,000 ft., and comprised the following kinds of timber : 105,999,000 ft. kauri, 19,610,000 ft. rimu, 37,542,000 ft. kahikatea, 4,600,000 ft. matai, 21,626,000 ft. totara, and 1,166,000 ft. miscellaneous. The number of mill-hands employed is 2,367, and it is estimated that the number of men engaged in the forests and in other works in connection with timber-getting is not less than five thousand. In former years, after supplying local requirements, kauri timber was chiefly exported from the east coast —from Mangonui, Whangaroa, parts of the Thames and Coromandel Peninsulas, Mercury Bay, and Tairua; but the two first-mentioned districts are now mostly cut out and the mills (with one exception) dismantled and removed, whilst the two last-named are still actively engaged, being ample to cut out the timber within their respective spheres of action. With a few exceptions, the remaining kauri consists mainly of scattered clumps and remnants, and is utilised to supply the Auckland mills, whither the logs are conveyed by scows, of which there is quite a fleet, and by rafts towed by steamers, most of which are owned by the sawmilling companies. Rafting and towing operations extend from Mangonui to Katikati, a distance of over three hundred miles. The mills situated within the harbours of the west coast (Kaipara, Hokianga, Whangape, and Herekino) are chiefly engaged in the export trade, for which the chief centre for many years has been the Kaipara, the immense watershed of which embraces an area extending to within a few miles of Auckland—the Wade, Mangawai, Waipu, Whangarei, Hikurangi, Puhipuhi, Cape Brett, Bay of Islands, Mangakahia, and the Maunganui Bluff. Owing to the buoyancy of kauri, the district lends itself to vast and extended timber-getting operations. The same remarks, though to a somewhat less extent, apply to Hokianga and Whangape. The Kaipara, as well as being one of the most extensive waterways, is one of the largest ports of entry for sailing-vessels in the colony. Of the many rivers flowing into the Kaipara Harbour the Northern Wairoa is the largest. Vessels of 1,500 tons, carrying 1,000,000 or more feet of timber, load at Aratapu, Kopuru, Aoroa, and Naumai mills, while navigable waters for vessels of 500 tons extend for over a hundred miles up the various rivers, and steam launches and similar craft can travel for a further distance of a hundred miles. It is estimated that the water-frontage of the Kaipara, including the rivers, streams, and their numerous tributaries—most of which are used in connection with driving, floating, and rafting kauri timber —is about two thousand miles, or equal to the entire coast-line of New Zealand. During the year 1906 seventy-five sailingvessels and seventeen steamers, of a total tonnage of 49,925 tons, entered outwards from Kaipara. Expoet op Timber (December, 1905, to 31st December, 1906). From Kaipara: 40,737,954 ft.; value, £161,383. From Auckland and other ports : 27,540,764 ft.; value, £115,028. Total: 68,278,718 ft.; value, £276,411. Of the total export, about 18,000,000 ft. is kahikatea. Future Supplies. It does not seem possible to maintain the present output of kauri for many years, and the supply of other timbers for the local market must be looked for south of Auckland per the Rotorua and Main Trunk Railways, upon which an increasing number of mills are being erected. As it is impossible to at the same time encourage land settlement and preserve timber for milling purposes, it is suggested that the latter is of the greater importance, and that, in the interests of labour and future requirements, the time has arrived to seriously consider the desirability of sawmilling preceding settlement, seeing that nearly two-thirds of the marketable value of kauri is expended in labour, and also seeing that at least £15 per acre is expended in converting average (mixed) milling bush into marketable timber. Sawmilling does not lessen, but rather tends to increase, the value of land for settlement, to the extent of not less than £1 per acre. Bleeding Kauri-trees. Owing to the depredations of gum-seekers in the past, the practice of issuing special licenses to dig gum during winter months has been discontinued. Timber companies are now co-operating with the Department by appointing Rangers with a view to the preservation of the remaining forests. Action is taken against persons found trespassing thereon. Fires. With the exception of one large and three small trees in Kauri Park, there has not been any Crown forest destroyed during the year, although private owners have suffered losses in standing bush—logs, dams, and other property being destroyed by fire. Details of Mills. 1. Lane and Sons, Totara North, Whangaroa. —The mill is situated on the northern bank of the Whangaroa Harbour. It is specially equipped for cutting long lengths, which are used largely for shipbuilding, which industry is carried on by the firm in conjunction with their sawmilling operations. The mill cuts a variety of timber, but chiefly kauri, rimu, and kahikatea. Part of the surplus output over the firm's requirements is disposed of locally, while the remainder is exported to Sydney and the South Sea Islands. Supplies are obtained from freehold and Crown lands, and timber is also purchased in the open market. The industry is long established —about thirty years —and the sawmill is the only one remaining in the district. Cutting-capacity, 2,500,000 superficial feet; output, 1,000,000 superficial feet; mill hands,l4.